Clarity of Speech

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Consonants are formed by blocking and releasing air movement, and using either your voice or just air movement to make a sound. Very slight differences in the shape of your mouth or the amount air flows can affect the entire sound that is being made. Learning how to control the energy in your tongue, lips, and soft palate can help improve the clarity of your speech.

My book explains that some consonants are formed by blocking air movement and suddenly releasing it. To observe this, say "tah." While saying "tah," you can notice how all air and sound is momentarily blocked until you release into the "ah" vowel. Other letters that do this are P (say "puh") and D (say "dah").

While doing this, I noticed that all consonants either have a sudden air release or let the air flow through the sound. Letters that are released suddenly are those that are like my previous examples of T, P, or D, while letters where the air flows can be held for as long as you want, like M or S. I also noticed that all consonants either use your voice to create sound, or are just made through air movement. For example, the only difference between "buh" and "puh" is that you use your voice for B and not for P. The same rule applies for D and T, G and K, V and F, and Z and S. These two realizations inspired me to draw a chart of consonants, mapping how the sound is created for each one:

While creating this chart and adding consonants to it, I realized there are three categories consonants can fit in when it comes to the speed air is released at. While B and K block air and then suddenly release it, and M and S the air moves right through, letters such as J and W release air suddenly and can't be held, and yet they don't block air movement before hand. For letters like this, I created a third row.

Try saying the letters in each of the six categories to figure out what the difference between categories is for yourself! Doing this will be the best way to truly figure out what makes each sound unique.

My book suggests exercises in order to improve the strength and flexibility of the muscles in your mouth. It suggests starting by saying syllables such as "lah," "tah," "dah," and "nah." As you say them, notice how your mouth and tongue moves. For "tah" and "dah," if you don't feel the momentary air blockage, it means your tongue tip needs to be strengthened. After doing this a few times, speed up and increase the number of syllables so that you're saying "lahlahlahlaaaah," "tahtahtahtaaaah," "dahdahdahdaaaah," or "nahnahnahnaaaah." While doing this make sure to keep the jaw free and tongue relaxed, because tightening either of these affects articulation and vocal resonance. If your jaw feels tight, massaging the jawline and the ears helps loosen it.

If you want to become an actor, or just want to speak clearly, these exercises will help you achieve it. According to Cicely Berry, the voice director of the Royal Shakespeare Company, "The voice will never be as good in exercise as it will be when you done the exercises, forgotten them, and are using the voice imaginatively."

I'm curious, do you ever just investigate and play around with random sounds, like I did while writing this post (and honestly, I've done before too)? Do you find these facts about the sounds we make on a daily basis interesting? Do you think it's fun to say the nonsense words in the speech exercises above, like "nahnahnahnaaaah"? Let me know!

Thank you for reading my last post :)

Getting Physical

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Many actors are very uncomfortable with important texts, and end up either standing still and not moving at all, or move too much. However, whether the text is completely serious or hilariously comical, movement is an important part of acting.

While exploring and learning the text, take every possible opportunity to move. Even if your movement has nothing to do the text, any movement, from tossing a ball to dancing, is good. Movement helps you so that you don't get into a habit of saying the text the same way every time, and can explore more ideas later on, after the text is already memorized.

Later, you can decide how to physically express yourself when you preform. If you don't move, you'll be unintentionally censoring yourself. Movement helps the audience understand the ideas in a character's head, and so an actor needs to explore the thoughts, sounds, and rhythms of the character in order to figure out what ideas the character is trying to communicate in their dialogue. Don't hold back with your expressions, either. It's better to go for something and be told to not do it than to not do something wonderful that would make your performance wonderful.

Yesterday I was in a singing competition called NATS. I was in the musical theater category so, like any other theater, I was expected to act. I explored many movements, until I got to the finished product of my performance. I learned how to become the character for a few seconds, and moved in the same ways as she would. You can watch a video of one of the three songs I prepared below:

 

I felt wonderful about my performance afterwards, which is always what your goal should be, and my hard work paid off in the end. I ended up getting honorable mention in my category of the competition! 

Why Train the Voice?

- - - (Powell 98-9)

Constantin Stanislavski once said, "The three most important things for an actor are voice, voice and yet again, voice." The voice is so important acting because it's used as a tool for identity an self-expression, so actors should develop their voices in order to express what they want to say correctly.

Vocal training doesn't teach a person the correct way to speak. Instead, it teaches a person how to breathe, release tension, and find their own true voice. People's preconceptions of how their voice should sound gets in the way of letting their voice do what it wants, and creates tension. All people hold tension in their bodies in some way or another, and vocal training helps them release that tension so their voice will become clearer and more resonant.

My mom took the picture to the left at my most recent voice lesson. During voice lessons, I learn how to support my breath so that my singing doesn't sound breathy, and so my voice will resonate. Sometimes my teacher has me lie on the floor on my stomach next to her piano. If I'm breathing correctly, by back should rise and fall. This position also makes it easier for my voice to travel and resonate throughout my body. I learn what this feels like, with suggestions from my voice teacher, and can use the same techniques when I'm standing up.

Recently in voice lessons, I learned that I carry a lot of tension in my jaw. This is not good for letting my voice flow freely, so now my teacher and I work on releasing my jaw during my lessons, and I have also learned massages to help me soothe my jaw.

During voice lessons I also have learned how to use my authentic voice. Previously, whenever I heard a song, I tried to sing it just like the singer on the recording. Now I've learned how to make my voice sound like me, so that when I sing I won't sound like the original singer. I will have my own, unique sound that is so much more resonant than if I were copying the recording.

How many of you currently or are planning to do vocal training? If you currently are, how has it affected you? If you are planning to, what are reasons why you would like to train your voice?

The Theater Audition

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This past month I had auditions for the spring production at our school, Hairspray. The section helped me prepare for this audition, although I still wish I did a few things differently.

The first thing this section starts off saying is that an audition is a job interview. Your chances can be ruined if you are unprepared, or even if you're having a off day. The first thing suggested to prepare for your audition is to do background research about your chosen monolog. For this audition we didn't have monologs. Instead, we had to sing a cut from a song, so I did background research on my song instead. The song I chose, My Strongest Suit, was from the musical Aida, and was sung by Princess Amneris of Egypt. At the beginning of the musical, there were a man and woman touring the Egyptian wing of a museum, when they were transported back in time to Ancient Egypt, where the story takes place. All of this gave me perspective on the song, and some of the lyrics popped out as making more sense. For example, the lyric "I ensure that every stitch is stitched in time" is not just saying that everything needs to be done on time, but is also a reference to how the characters went back in time.

This section of my book also advises to avoid dressing up on costumes or bringing a bunch of props, because that seems amateur. Instead, it advises to dress like yourself in order to express your personality. However, you have to make an effort. Don't dress in sloppy clothes or anything that shows you're unprofessional. Dress like yourself, only the best version of yourself.

Finally, this section reminds you that even if you do an amazing job, there are many factors that go into whether or not you get a part besides your skill as an actor. A director might just not be able to imagine you playing the part that they're looking for. It reminds the reader that the more audition opportunities you get, the greater the chance is that you'll be cast!

For those of you reading this who auditioned for Hairspray, how was your audition? What do you think you could've improved on?

The Alexander Technique

 - - - (Powell 128-9)

Throughout life, everyone builds up muscle tension which blocks the mind, body, emotions, breathing, etc. that a person needs to use in order to be an effective actor. People may not notice it, but we see this a lot with people casually slumping, either while casually standing around or while sitting. It is also in some way seen in most other postures a person will stand or sit in.

The Alexander Technique was invented in the nineteenth century by Frederick Matthias, who was an actor and kept losing his voice. He realized that his posture while delivering lines restricted his spine and ribs, straining his voice, so he created this active therapy that can be applied to everything in life. For example, when standing up, an Alexander Technique practitioner would lead with the top of their head, instead of with their chin as most people would. This technique can get so sophisticated depending on how deeply you explore it that the only way to completely master it is by having at least 20 lessons with a practitioner who will manipulate your body and help you understand the system and how it feels.

However, it can be simplified into one simple mantra:
Neck free.
Head forward and up.
Back lengthen.
Back widen.
Legs forward and away.

As you can see, I have demonstrated the technique above, although as I am new at this, my technique has flaws. In the "Correct" section of the picture, the most noticeable mistake is that my head should be further forward. I'm sure that there are more, but since I currently only have a basic understanding of this technique, I don't know what they ware.

Over the past few weeks, I have been practicing this technique whenever I realized or felt that my posture was off in some way. I haven't noticed any differences, but then again, I didn't originally have many problems and I haven't been looking for changes. I've just been casually practicing the Alexander Technique, although I plan to devote more time to it at some point soon.

The Acting Bible: The Complete Resource for Aspiring Actors

For my IRP 2, I will be working on my acting with help of The Acting Bible: The Complete Resource for Aspiring Actors by Michael Powell. I enjoy acting and theater, and believe this book will help me with my acting in The Addams Family in November, auditions for Hairspray in December, and if I get in, rehearsals in January. This book will be helpful because it goes deeper into how to develop your character and show who they are in your acting. It also goes over the business side of acting, which is a part of the job I know next to nothing about.